Ignited by chance
by jillbetsonalice
Summary: AU. Bella works at the mall at a shoe store. She's going to a new college, in a new city. One night she runs into Edward, what will he think? What will she think? Where else will they see eachother and will Bella find what she is missing?
1. Chapter 1

**Edward's POV**

**--**

I had no idea what I was doing standing in the middle of a crowded food court listening to the blonde next to me babble on and on about nothing. I rarely frequented malls, especially malls in cities that were unfamiliar to me. I only went to the mall when I desperately needed clothes, the odd Christmas present, or to see if the music stores had any good CD's for sale. Other than that, I tried to avoid stores that streamed loud pop music, and smelled strongly of whatever overpriced cologne they were trying to market to young teens. Which is why I was shocked that I had made it this far, standing next to a girl I barely knew in line for a cinnamon bun and frappamochalattecino, or whatever the hell "designer" coffee they were currently pushing at the counter.

I sighed as I tried to bring myself back into the conversation but ended up zoning out again. The blonde was gabbing to me because my loud mouth brother, Emmett, had told her I was an amazing musician with a passion for blondes who was single. On the contrary, I was a mediocre musician who preferred brunettes, he had gotten the single thing right. Emmett had put me on the spot with the girl, telling her that I was, "so new to this town" that I, "didn't even know where the mall was." So, of course, she had jumped at the opportunity and me, being the way I was, couldn't find a way to say "no". So here I was, standing in line with a girl who had nothing in common with me while I could be moving into my new apartment on campus. I had come to the Mid-West college in an attempt to escape the giant city. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the city, but I longed for a college with smaller class sizes where I didn't have to worry about getting mugged while walking from my apartment to campus if I chose to have any night classes. This college was perfect, it had smaller classes, nicer apartments, a safer campus, but still had nice clubs if I missed the feeling of the big city. I also, unfortunately, had Emmett, who thought it was a perfect opportunity to expand his own horizons by switching schools. He also had told his parents that he could "keep a better eye on his little bro" by living on the same campus. Fortunately for me, Emmett had pledged a fraternity and now lived in the frat house while I had chosen to live in the apartments with a roommate that I still hadn't met. I could be meeting him right now but had, instead, been thrust into the situation with the blonde who was still babbling beside me, good God would she ever shut up?

"Edward? Are you okay?" She asked. I whipped my head to meet her, er, chest, unfortunately, and quickly averted my eyes to her face,

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm just a little tired. You know, with all the moving in." I said trying to cut our mall trip short. It was nearing seven o'clock and the mall closed at nine, I wanted to be able to at least get to my apartment and hopefully catch my roommate.

"Where did you say you transferred from?" She asked. I gave her the best smile I could offer thought I knew very well I had told her at least five times,

"Out east. I was going to be a junior but decided to switch…I wasn't very happy to say the least." I told her. She nodded, clearly uninterested, I couldn't blame her, I was neither pink nor glittery, also I didn't vibrate constantly informing her she had a new text message, like the cell phone she held onto so tightly I would have sworn it as some vital piece of her anatomy.

We got our cinnamon buns, well she got a cinnamon bun I got a black coffee, and we sat at a table. She gave a little gasp,

"I'm going to run over to that store really quick, I think I see someone I know." She smacked her gum and rushed off. I let out a deep sigh and ran my hands through my messy bronze hair, I could tell it was going to be a very long night.

**Bella's POV**

**--**

My stomach growled angrily as I zipped around the backroom shoving boxes of shoes back into their correct spots on the shelves. It hadn't taken me too long to memorize where most styles belonged and I was surprised that I was becoming quite good at putting the unsought shoes back in their correct locations in no time flat. The night had been particularly slow with only a couple of picky customers and a few people, who were clearly holding on to any strand of summer left, looking for last minutes flipflops. But now we were definitely dead, and with only two hours remaining until the mall closed I decided to take my dinner break and find something to eat,

"Aaron, I'm going to grab a bite…want anything?" I asked as I walked from the backroom onto the floor. Aaron looked up from cleaning his own shoes,

"That's fine Bella, nah I don't need anything." I nodded and grabbed my purse,

"I won't take too long, I promise." I gave him a smile and left the store beginning my short trek to the food court. I wasn't looking forward to moving into my new campus apartment all at once tomorrow but I had promised to cover a co-worker's shift tonight which had erased any chance I had of moving in that night. I was excited of starting life at a new college, my old college had made cry and didn't have everything I wanted, this college seemed promising and I was looking forward to it. I had struck gold when I had applied at the shoe store in the mall, it was a fun, low stress job that fit perfectly around my schedule. Finally, I was happy…for the most part.

I walked up the counter at the Great Steak and Potato Co. and ordered a wrap. I knew it would take awhile so I made my way to a table to wait. I hadn't sat down in five hours and desperately needed to. I should have known it was a bad idea to try and do two things at once, but anyone should have been able to walk while putting their wallet away, apparently I didn't fall under the category of "anyone". I tripped over someone's shoelaces and went flying to the sticky, disgusting, mall floor.

"Oh…gross." I groaned. The most amazing voice I had ever heard filled my ears,

"Fuck, I'm so sorry." He said. I had embarrassed myself in front of a guy, fantastic. I felt his strong arms around my shoulders as he lifted me to my feet. I hurriedly wiped of my black pants so the stains wouldn't set in,

"It's fine, I'm the clumsiest person you will…ever…meet." My sentence fell apart as my eyes met his. His eyes were a deep, deep green, his features were very intense and worried as he stare at me. His hair was very messy and bronze. He was amazingly handsome and I couldn't believe I had fallen completely flat in front of him. He chuckled warmly,

"No I really should learn how to tie my shoes." He put his hands in his pockets and his tongue snuck out, running nervously over his lips. I almost fell to the floor again,

"Those are some really old Nike's you should look into some Asics, maybe the Kayano or the Kinsei do you run a lot? It looks like you've destroyed the support in those." My mouth spouted off all the random things I could take in from my run in with his shoes. I felt so stupid but I really did notice feet and shoes a whole lot more since starting my job. This mystery man raised his eyebrows and let out a chuckle,

"Yeah, I do run, occasionally. You know a lot about shoes." He smiled at me, a unique, crooked, smile that made me swallow a lump in my throat,

"I work…here, at the shoe store down that way." I pointed in the direction of my store, "I apparently can't walk in shoes but I can certainly sell them." I said. He smiled at me and looked at his shoes,

"Well these are pretty old. Maybe I'll come check out what you have some time." He said, "I'm Edward by the way." Edward said. He extended his hand and I almost took it but a busty blonde bounced up to us and my mind immediately processed that they had to be a couple,

"Oh…oh, well, Edward my food is ready and I have to get back to the store…so um, I'm sorry, again about tripping…bye." I hurried back over to get my food,

"Wait! I didn't get your name." I thought I heard him say. I didn't care, I was thoroughly embarrassed, his girlfriend was beautiful and I was, now, covered in dirt from the mall floor. I grabbed my food and dashed back to the store ready for the night to end.

**Edward's POV**

**--**

I was floored. She was beautiful, and I needed to know her name.


	2. Chapter 3

Edward's POV

--

I felt compelled to chase after her but she acted like she really didn't care if I crawled in a hole and died or not so I wasn't sure if that was the best idea. Megan…or was it Marla?...Mackenzie? Yeah, that was it, Mackenzie was giving me a questioning look,

"Who was that?" She asked me. I wanted to tell her "an attractive woman who held me attention more in the two minutes we had talked than you have done all night" but I kept my tongue civil and went for the more appropriate,

"I'm not entirely sure." Mackenzie gave a little, uninterested "hmph", I finally turned to look at her and noticed the guy standing behind her. He was shorter than me with buzzed hair and muscles that rivaled Emmett's

"This is Kyle. Kyle this is Edward." Mackenzie introduced us smacking her gum the entire time. Kyle nodded at me, the universal symbol of guys saying "Hi, I really have no idea who you are or if you are cool enough so I'm not going to shake your hand but I'll acknowledge that you exist." I nodded back,

"You're Emmett Cullen's little brother aren't you?" He asked. I had no idea how he could tell. Ever since I was five years old I had been making the case to our parents that there was no way Emmett and I were blood related, it was a preposterous notion and the only explanation was that Emmett was hatched from a lizard egg that had been dropped one too many times before he hatched. But I would spare this poor bastard the energy he would have to muster to make his brain work enough to listen to my arguments,

"Yeah, I'm guessing you're in the same fraternity?" I asked. The guy let out a booming chuckle that sounded just like Emmett's, maybe this was Emmett's long lost twin and they could run off together,

"Emmet's my bro! He rocks, I'm so glad he pledged! What about you? Ever think about pledging?" I couldn't help but laugh at this comment. I could never imagine myself in a fraternity, it was a ridiculous idea and I would never hear the end of it from Emmett, there was no telling the absolute hell he was sure to put me through if I ever had a lapse of judgment, forgot my identity, and ended up pledging a fraternity,

"No." I gave a simple answer. Kyle looked at me like I was crazy for never considering it. Mackenzie, who I had noticed had been silent for the first time all night, spoke,

"Edward, Kyle is going to take me back to my dorm; he lives in the next building over it would just be easier on everyone." Mackenzie said. I had no doubt that she was lying and Kyle lived nowhere near her hall, but I was fine with that,

"Well it was nice meeting you Mackenzie, you too Kyle." I said. I caught sight of the clock and noticed I had an hour before the mall closed; there was still a chance…

"There's a party this weekend Eddie, you should totally come…kind of a 'Welcome to Campus' party at our house, come check it out." Kyle said. I nodded,

"Bye Edward!" Mackenzie called as the two walked out of the mall together. A match made in heaven, thank God it hadn't been me.

I turned on my heels and walked in the direction my mystery girl had pointed when she had explained she worked here. I had to know her name; I had to know what she liked, what she didn't like, where she had come from. I needed to know.

Bella's POV

--

I was completely embarrassed. Not only had I tripped in front of one of the hottest guys I had ever seen but I had actually been stupid enough to think that I could have had a chance with him. I should have known he'd have a girlfriend, a blonde girlfriend, who looked great in heels and could actually walk in them. I slammed my forehead repeatedly into the desk, hoping no customers would come in to see my dismay,

"Everything okay Bella?" Aaron asked. I let out a frustrated sigh and lifted my face up to meet his,

"Just made a complete ass of myself…that' s all!" I said in mock cheeriness. Aaron let out chuckle,

"That bad huh?" He asked. He knew of my clumsiness, I don't know why I had ever gotten the job, I could barely walk in my own shoes let alone instruct people how to walk in theirs.

"Ugh!" I groaned frustrated, "I need to clean something." I walked into the back and pulled the ladder out. I grabbed the bottle of cleaner and as many paper towels as I could hold onto and scaled the ladder to the top rung,

"You know, that step says 'Do not stand' yet we stand on it every day." Aaron made the observation as I cleaned off the air vent, mindful of my unsteadiness,

"Don't distract me." I said, trying my hardest not to topple over. The phone rang in the back,

"I'll get it!" Aaron jogged out of sight and I shook my head at his eagerness. The night's occurrences replayed over and over in my head, which made me even more upset, not even dusting the disgusting air vent could get my mind off of what had happened,

"Stupid, stupid, stupid." I repeated as I dropped a handful of dusty rags into the trash can. I heard someone clear their throat behind me, which startled me slightly,

"Hi! Sorry, just had to get this clean before it drove me crazy. How are you doing tonight?" I asked in my mock cheeriness, not tearing my eyes away from my work,

"Much better now. Though I think you're right, I need a new running shoe." I was shocked at the sound of his voice and I turned around too fast toppling from my perch. He crossed the small store in a rush to catch me and I landed safely against him,

"Thanks." I said in a whisper. He chuckled at me and my heart melted,

"I think maybe that owes me a name." He said standing me upright,

"Where's your girlfriend?" I asked, ignoring his question. He raised his eyebrow as if I was speaking a foreign language,

"Oh! You mean Mackenzie..yeah she isn't my girlfriend. She left about ten minutes ago with some other guy. So saving your life doesn't even get me your name?" He asked me again. My heart soared, no girlfriend. Wait a second, I just met this guy, he could be the biggest jackass on the planet for all I knew, man I was getting desperate, and he was way out of my league, why should I even bother?

"So you want new running shoes?" I asked ignoring his question again,

"I'm going to try on every shoe in this store if you do not tell me your name." He said as I walked over to the men's running shoes. Was he flirting with me or was I just imagining things?

"Go ahead, I'd love to see you in those women's boots." I said pointing to the far wall. Two could play this game. Just then Aaron came out of the back,

"Hey Bella you okay? I thought I heard you fall." Great, thanks Aaron for ruining my game.

Edward's POV

--

Bella, her name was Bella…possibly Isabella. Bella. Beautiful.


	3. Chapter 2

EPOV

--

I had no idea what I was doing. This was about as pointless as it got, she was going to think I was a creep and order me out of her store before she called security on me. I could see her cheeks flush red when the boy had said her name, she was busted and she knew it. She half grinned at the boy,

"Yeah I'm fine Aaron, just kind of toppled over I guess…you know me." She said wiping her palms against her black pants. Aaron nodded his head,

"Cool, I'm going to put some skews away.. If you need anything let me know." Aaron disappeared into the back of the small store and Bella turned attention back to me,

"Okay, what do you really want?" Her small eyes narrowed. I swallowed a lump in my throat, I really didn't want to make her angry and maybe I was coming on a bit strong. Bella seemed intelligent though, and I was attracted to that. For years I had been thrown into blind dates set up by friends or forced into double dates with Emmett solely because the girl Emmett sought simply, "couldn't go out unless my sister came" and Emmett obviously needed to get in her pants pronto. Bella was different, she could probably count higher than twenty without taking her shoes off, she was a brunette, and she was nervous and clumsy and, for whatever reason, that intrigued me. But, if I really wanted to learn more about her it would probably be best to take it slow, and I really did need new running shoes.

"As you can see I wear my shoes down to the soles so…I need new shoes. It looks to me like you have a few pairs in here." I told her. She bit her lip and walked toward to the wall that held all the men's shoes,

"How often do you run?" She asked. I could tell she was trying her best to stay in salesperson mode but I noticed her hands were fumbling a bit as she plucked a shoe from the wall.. I suppressed a chuckled,

"Not too often, I do occasionally play baseball when I can get a good group of guys together. I'm hoping my roommate likes to play. I just need something that feels good and doesn't fall apart too easily." I told her. I really did hope my roommate liked baseball, I was dying to play again, and maybe Bella could come watch…

"Have you ever had Asics? They're really comfortable and give good support." She smiled handing me and blue and white shoe. I took it and flipped in the air a couple times,

"How many times a day do you say 'they're really comfortable'?" I asked her. Her cheeks flushed with a tinge of pink at my question,

"Many, many times but it's true!" She defended herself. I let out a laugh,

"Really? Have you worn these shoes?" I asked. She was busted and she knew it. I was going to buy the shoe even if it felt horrible on my feet, I really didn't care,

"No, but I've had many customers tell me that they feel fantastic so…there!" What a great comeback. I grinned at her,

"You're a horrible liar." I said. I gave her my size and sat down in one of the chairs as she disappeared into the back. I took out my cell phone and realized I had a new voicemail,

"Hey Edward this is Jasper Hale. We didn't get a chance to meet today but I'm your roommate, I got your number off of your brother Emmett, he was moving some of your stuff in--…Alice, sweetie, calm down I'll put my clothes away, no you can't burn them I need to wear clothes,…anyway, sorry man my girlfriend is a spaz, so I hope I get to meet you tomorrow maybe we can play some ball or something. See you tomorrow!" I closed my phone; Jasper seemed pretty awesome, though I wasn't sure I liked the idea of Emmett in my apartment.

I heard a crash from the back room followed by a couple swear words courtesy of Bella. She stumbled back out with a couple boxes in her arms and an embarrassed smile plastered across her face,

"Here, put these on and you'll see that they are as comfortable as I was saying." She threw the tennis shoe at me and I slipped it on. Actually, it was extremely comfortable,

"I apologize, you were correct, they are really comfortable." I said pulling the other one on and lacing them up. I noticed a 'Doc Martens' box on the chair next to the one I had been sitting in,

"What's that?" I asked. She blushed a bit more and opened the box,

"I just really like these shoes. I think they're really cool, not like most Doc's, I thought maybe you'd like them." She held up a black shoe that looked slightly worn, it had stitching in a couple areas, it was a lot different then the clunky Doc's I was used to. I loved it instantly,

"Wow, I like them...a lot. I'll take the Asics and those." I said. She grinned triumphantly and proceeded to box everything up for me. I checked my watch and noticed that the mall would be closing in about 45 minutes,

"156.78. So, do you go to school here?" She asked as I handed her my credit card. I nodded and wondered to myself if she was at my school as well. My heart sped up a bit as I asked her,

"Yeah, how about you? " She grinned as I nervously ran my hand through my messy bronze hair.

"Yeah, I was supposed to move into my apartment today but I got stuck here covering a shift for someone. It kind of sucks because I really wanted to meet my roommate." She put the boxes in a bag for me and handed me my receipt.

"I know what you mean, I was supposed to move into my new apartment today too but Emmett made me go out with that blonde so he could get in good with her sister…I think he meant her sorority sister." I told her. For a minute there I felt terrified, there I was making fun of sororities and fraternities not knowing whether or not she belonged to a sorority,

"Ew. I don't think a sorority would take me, I'm not exactly their material." She said. I sighed internally, a wave of relief washing through me. I wanted it to be nine o'clock, I wanted to walk her to her car and talk with her much more, I wanted a number, anything. It was, after all, the last weekend before classes started and once we got into the swing of the semester the chances that I would see her again were slim,

"Well, Bella, it was nice meeting you and you sure do know how to sell a man a pair of shoes." I said holding up the bag. She giggled nervously, it was an adorable giggle that screamed, 'oh my god I have no idea what to say to you so I'm just going to giggle'. I had no idea whether or not I was going too fast, but for some reason I didn't care, life was all about taking chances and, dammit, this was a new school and a new selection of people, I was going to make the best out of my college years consequences be damned, "I sure would like to get to know you a little more Bella." I said grinning at her. She tucked her long, brown hair behind her ear. She seemed to contemplate something for a moment before she grabbed a pen out of a cup on the counter, she then snatched my hand, her hands were very soft but a little sweaty maybe from nerves, and scribbled her number on my palm,

"Then you can…uh…call me, I guess." She was nervous, so was I, I prayed I didn't have to go to the bathroom between now and when I got home so I wouldn't run the risk of washing off her number, "Have a good night Edward." She said. I nodded and, with nothing left to say, walked from the store.

Bella's POV

He was so handsome, and I felt so stupid. It was so unlike me to give a guy my number, especially one I had just met. He seemed nice though, hell he had put the store at goal for the night, which was always a good thing. He was ridiculously kind, seemed strong, and even smelled good. I was extremely embarrassed that I had given him my number but even more nervous/excited that he would possibly call me.

After the mall closed I decided to drive over to the apartment. My boxes would be everywhere, I hadn't officially moved in but I had moved my stuff over there, but it was a bed and a shower and those were the two things I was after. I put my key in the lock and turned the knob, I was greeted not with silence but with a blur of black hair and a too tight hug,

"Oh my God you must be Bella! Finally, I never thought I'd get to meet you! How are you? I guess you were at work judging by your attire. Oooh this is going to be so much fun!" She bounced, my roommate bounced,

"I'm great!" I chuckled, I was happy that she wasn't antisocial, "Yeah I just got off work." I told her setting my purse down, "What's your name?" I asked,

"Alice! Alice Brandon! Wow we have so much to learn about each other, this is going to be great! What's your major? Do you have a boyfriend?" She asked as she still bounced,

"I'm a journalism major, and no, no boyfriend. How about you?" I asked. I couldn't help but grin at her, she was petite and had a shock of black hair, she was a ball of energy and I could tell we were going to get along just fine,

"I'm a graphic arts major and my boyfriend actually lives right next door! But I think he's already asleep, or reading, or just ignoring me. Hey I have an idea!" She said, "Jasper, that's my boyfriend, said that this guy that was in his apartment today told him that there is a party tomorrow night at one of the frat houses we should go! I mean, I'm not sure if you really party but it may be a great way to meet people!" She said. I nodded, I wasn't that big of a partier but she was right, it was probably a good way to meet people,

"Alright, why not, what have I got to lose? Count me in!" I tried to get as much enthusiasm as she had but I failed. It wasn't that I wasn't excited, I just wasn't sure that Alice's enthusiasm came to anyone naturally,

"Great! It will be fun! We can get all dressed up and, who knows where the night will lead!" She said. I guess no one knew where the night would lead, only time would tell.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: WOW thanks for all the feedback! I really appreciate it! There is so much crap going on right now that I just need to write and get my brain fixated on that. So, please Read and Review. Also, I am taking requests for lemons so when you review if you have an idea let me know and if I use it I'll be sure to credit you!**

**xoxo**

**- Jill**

**Edward's POV**

**--**

This was a dream, it had to be, I had never felt so warm before, so complete. Her skin was so unbelievably soft and my fingers left goosebumps wherever they trailed. She smelled heavenly and her hair was soft and tickled as it grazed my bare skin. She opened her mouth and a soft giggle flowed out.

Bella, it was Bella. Then, she spoke,…why did Bella sound like a Texan? My eyes popped open and I slowly realized that it had been a dream, and that my pajama pants were way too tight. I sat up and noticed that the voice I heard belonged to Jasper, my roommate that I had yet to meet. He sounded like he was on the phone in the living room,

"No sweetheart I wasn't ignoring you at all, I fell asleep." I chuckled a bit wondering if it was a lie. I stood and realized that I couldn't meet Jasper in my current, er, pointed state. I was so grateful that the bathrooms were in the rooms and that, due to a housing mishap, Jasper and I had our own rooms. I climbed into the shower and turned it all the way to cold.

My dream confused me, I had met Bella les than 24 hours before I had woken up from a dream where we were obviously doing things that people typically didn't do less than 24 hours after meeting each other. I could call her, but I was a coward. I had made a fool of myself the night before, I had no idea why I had acted the way I did. I was desperate for some good, human, conversation and Bella had intrigued me, and she had turned me on. I felt like a creep.

I turned off the shower, dried off, and got dressed. I let my hair fall where it wanted, I learned long ago that there was no use attempting to tame it. I walked into the living room to see Jasper still on the phone,

"I'll ask, I promise, yeah it does sound fun, yes, okay have fun, love you, bye." He hung up the phone and looked at me, "Hey! You must be Edward, I hope I didn't wake you up man. Alice is excited….always." He said as we shook hands,

"Nah, you didn't wake me up. Sorry we didn't get a chance to meet before now, and I'm even sorrier you had to meet Emmett." I said. Jasper let out a laugh,

"Your brother is crazy man, he's really nice though so no worries." Jasper was in the midst of putting away a box of dishes so I jumped in to help. We were quiet for a few minutes, men typically didn't feel the need to speak all that much, but I was enjoying his company.

"So what's your story Jasper?" I asked. I was genuinely curious, I also felt like we had the potential to develop a great friendship so I wanted to take the time to figure out more about him. Jasper chuckled,

"Well, as you probably already discovered I'm from Texas, I apologize in advance for my accent. I took some time off in between high school and college, I had some family issues that I really needed to distance myself from so I took off across the country just trying to figure my life out. I thought maybe I'd go into the military but I'd have to shave my hair off and I really wasn't for that. Then, I met Alice, and everything changed. She was in a diner in Pennsylvania, I actually accidentally rammed into her car while she was inside so I had gone inside to apologize and she just took my breath away. She was on a similar track I was, not really sure where she fit in this crazy life, we started talking and dating and then I discovered I had a passion for the human mind and she had a passion for…clothes, and color, and fun. So we decided that maybe the college life was for us after all and we decided on this fun little college here. We kind of wanted the real college experience so we aren't rooming together off campus, plus I thought maybe some girl time would be good for her." His story was more interesting than I could ever imagine. I was impressed that he had the balls to take off on his own and leave his family, and troubles behind. He seemed like one of the happiest guys I had ever met. "So how about you Edward? What brings you to a little college like this? You seem like a city boy." I couldn't help but laugh at Jasper's comment,

"Exactly. I needed to get away from the city, I mean I like to go to clubs and dance and drink and have a good time but I really wanted to know what a quieter environment was so I convinced my parents to let me go here. Though I really would have preferred if Emmett hadn't decided that he needed to come along for my own protection. I'm majoring in musical education and am currently single." For some reason Bella's face flashed in my mind and I felt my brow knit together.

"That's awesome. Emmett seems like a nice go, a little loud but at least he's happy to see everybody…I think he and Alice would get along just fine. Oh, that reminds me, she'll kill me if I don't ask, there's a party tonight at your brother's fraternity do you want go?" I was interested but slightly apprehensive because I knew Emmett and his fraternity brothers would be the hosts, "Alice and her roommate, I think her name is Bella, are going so it sounds like it'll be a pretty good time." Jasper said conversationally. I almost dropped the cup I was holding. Bella, at least I hoped it was the Bella I was thinking of, would be there. I had to go, I had to see her, I had to talk to her and try my hardest not to make more of an ass out of myself.

"Yeah, it sounds cool I guess. We can at least check it out for a bit." I still tried to stay cool, I was a guy after all and if Jasper saw me getting all excited about this party he may label me as a weirdo. Though, he really didn't seem like the type to judge.

"Awesome, I'll give Alice a call. I think she's out with Bella doing some shopping, better Bella than me! I'm pretty sure I have permanent mark from carrying shopping bags on my arms." Jasper clapped me on the back and rand to his cell phone, I secretly smiled to myself…I was getting a second chance.

**Bella's POV**

**--**

"Alice, really, I do appreciate this but I have clothes." I said as the Hurricane Pixie drug me through the mall. She laughed maniacally and it terrified me. We were quickly becoming friends, though we had only known each other for a few hours, I really loved Alice's energy and friendliness and she enjoyed the fact that she had a live person to dress up,

"Yeah but nothing sexy! And, you're single, so tonight you should relax and have some fun and talk to guys, it's college!" Alice was hell bent on the whole college experience and it made me smile. She was bound and determined for us to have a blast at this frat party tonight. Her boyfriend and his roommate, who's name she had forgotten by the time she had gotten off the phone with Jasper, were coming with us that evening and Alice was very bouncy about the whole situation.

"Fine Satan Pixie! Do your worst!" I laughed, it made me slightly uncomfortable trying on skimpy clothes but I was grateful that I wasn't having that hard of a time making friends. Alice cackled and pulled me into another dimly lit store.

Five hours, many shopping bags, and a smoothie later we were back at our apartment and I was quickly ushered into the shower while Alice promised me she would pick out something perfect for me to wear. I was a little afraid but did as I was told. Being in the shower gave me time to think. Edward was never too far from mind and that was a little off putting. I hadn't known him from Adam the day before last but now he was the only man I could even begin to think about. His hair, his eyes, his laugh, his crooked smile, everything about him made my heart race and I wasn't sure why. He was nice enough, he had saved me from falling off the ladder, he had bought a couple pairs of really nice shoes, and he had made me stumble over my words. I hoped that he would call me. I really didn't want to go to the party that night to dance with other boys, I just wanted to hang out with Alice.

I exited the shower and heard Alice talking at approximately 987 miles per hour on the phone,

"Okay, we'll just meet you there then! Okay! Love you bye!" She said and flipped her phone closed. She turned to me, "Jazzy and his roommate are going early to help set up for the party so we're just going to meet them there. Okay! Get dressed and I'm going to do your hair." She bounced toward her room to heat up a curling iron, I was terrified.

Another two hours, a tiny denim skirt, black heels, and pretty cute black top later I found myself in the middle of a loud, hot, frat house. There were loads of guys there but not the one I wanted to see. Alice had introduced me to Jasper, her boyfriend, who said his roommate was in the bathroom and he'd have to introduce us when he got back. I was currently standing by one of the speakers, an untouched beer in my hand, trying my hardest not too look extremely awkward.

A boy walked up to me, his beer was nearly gone and I was sure he had a couple under his belt already. His hair was long, and black, and tied back into a ponytail. He sauntered up to me and I almost laughed as he stumbled,

"Hey there! You're looking good, what sorority do you belong to?!" He shouted over the music. I shook my head,

"None! I'm just here with a friend!" I shouted back. He smiled goofily, he seemed nice, probably a good guy to talk to but still not the guy I wanted to see.

"I'm Jacob! What's your name?!" He asked. I giggled again and I could feel my cheeks getting hot, that always happened when some guy talked to me, not matter who it was.

"Bella!" I said. He smiled again,

"Well, Bella, I know of a room upstairs we could go if you'd like. Get you a couple more drinks, make the beginning of college real nice for you!" He said. Suddenly, the scene had changed. Jacob didn't seem like the kind of guy I really wanted to be affiliated with, he seemed like a creep that had one too many. I really didn't want to make a scene so I just shook my head and started to walk away, "Whoa, whoa, where are you goin? We were just starting to have fun." He started following me to where the music was a little quieter,

"Actually Jacob I'm waiting for someone." I tried to be as polite as possible. I was walking down a hall when Jacob grabbed my wrist rather violently,

"Well we can spend that waiting time doing something fun." He slurred. I tried to break free but his grip on my arm was harsh and he was able to push me against the wall. He slammed his tall body against me and I struggled against his weight,

"GET OFF ME!" I shouted, but he wasn't listening. His breath reeked of alcohol and I was definitely frightened. His hand was slowly snaking it's way up my thigh, towards the hem of skirt when I heard the voice I had been longing to hear all night, it just sounded a lot angrier than I had imagined,

"HEY!" I heard Edward before I saw him.

**Edward's POV**

**--**

**I saw the guy pinning Bella to the wall and she didn't look too happy about it. I felt my blood boil and I could only think one thing as I rushed to her aid,**

**It was very possible that I was going to commit murder tonight.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in updates but life has been crazy. Here is the next installment, please enjoy and review. If I get enough response maybe I'll update again tonight ;D. **

**Edward's POV**

**--**

Adrenaline pumped through me as the sound of Bella's voice registered in my head. She didn't sound happy, she didn't sound excited, she sounded distressed. I had been making my way back to my conversation with Jasper after a trip to the restroom (which was an adventure in and of itself, frat house bathrooms during a party are obviously fair game to any horny couple) when I had heard her yell out above the repetitive beat of a giant bass,

"GET OFF ME!" She had yelled. I was instantly in a panic and I wasn't sure why. I hated the idea of anyone being rude to a woman but Bella elicited a new feeling inside of me. I scanned the party quickly for any sign of her and finally located her against the wall of a dark hallway. The man that had her pinned against the wall getting, obviously, way too close for her comfort. He was towering over her and he looked greasy with long hair that was pulled haphazardly back into a ponytail, he looked like a creep. My blood began to boil as the expression on Bella's face was illuminated in the party lights, she looked terrified, disgusted, and helpless all rolled into one and I was shocked that no one else had noticed what was going on. If I could hear her why didn't anyone else? Was I just that attuned to her already? I shook my head; there would be time for analysis of my actions later.

"HEY!" I roared as I rushed over to the scene. Bella's face grew the slightest bit relieved as she saw me. I grabbed the guy by the shoulders and hurled him against the wall opposite Bella. He landed with a bang which caught the attention of a group of guys, two of them being Jasper and Emmett.

"Hey pal, wait your turn." The asshole sneered. I growled, I can't believe I actually growled, and held him firmly against the wall with my arm,

"You listen to me you little pipsqueak." It was an irrelevant comment, he stood almost as tall as I did but it was the first insult that tumbled out of my mouth, "You better be damn glad I got here before you even thought about advancing further with that young lady over there because if you had I would have put your head through the wall buddy. And I'm still contemplating doing that now." I was normally not this harsh. I didn't enjoying confrontation, I left all of that up to Emmett but something had come over me when I saw Bella pinned, helplessly, against that wall. I was instantly aware of Emmett and Jasper standing at either side of me,

"Edward, what's going on?" Jasper asked, he was no doubt shocked by the menacing look that I knew was plastered all over my face. Emmett's eyebrows were knit together, a look I recognized as blatant confusion, something Emmett had to overcome often when we were growing up,

"Ed why are you about to kill Jacob?" Emmett asked me. The blood was still pounding in my eardrums but I could make out Emmett's question quite clearly,

"You know him?" I bit out. I was glad neither of them had attempted to removed my arms from Jacob's chest, I didn't want to let him go, not until I either scared the living shit out of him or..Well, that's all I really wanted. Emmett nodded as he stared at Jacob,

"Yeah, he's a pledge." He told me. I growled again, it was strange that my temper was flaring up considering I rarely had a temper at all. I clenched my teeth and turned my head to the side to face my brother,

"Well, you may want to reconsider letting him join your fraternity since he enjoys invading girls' comfort zones." I said. Emmett looked from me to Jacob and his eyes narrowed,

"Jacob, dude that is not acceptable." Emmett said. My brother may have been a big, dumb, football loving, beer drinking, frat boy but when it came to women we were both taught how to be chivalrous. Emmett knew whatever Jacob had done, whatever had caused me to fly off the handle like I had, was by no means acceptable. Jasper was apparently uncomfortable by all the anger that had accumulated in the tight little space so he jumped in,

"Alright buddy, looks like it's time to go. Unless your fraternity would like him to stick around." Jasper added looking at Emmett. Emmett shook his head,

"No, we don't accept anyone who doesn't understand what the word 'No' means." Emmett said. I finally eased up on my grip and that's when Jacob spoke,

"Is she your girlfriend or something?" His voice annoyed the living hell out of me and, whether it was pent up adrenaline or just the fact that I didn't like his face; I punched him right in his nose,

"No, I just don't like seeing women treated that way. It's called being a man; you should really try it some time." I retorted. Emmett gave me the quickest glance as he and Jasper escorted Jacob out of the party but his eyes seemed to say 'Hot damn you finally punched someone!' I cracked the smallest of smiles at my brother and turned to face Bella. Tears were streaming down her face and that worried me,

"Are you alright?" I asked. She nodded, unsure of what to say to me. She bit her lip nervously and I shuffled my feet a bit, it was an awkward situation that I didn't want to be awkward.

"Thank you." The phrase tumbled out of her mouth quickly as she self consciously wiped tears from her cheeks. Her voice warmed my heart, even if it was barely a whisper. She tugged on the skirt that she obviously felt uncomfortable in, on the contrary, I thought she looked…sexy.

"You look very nice tonight." I said. I thought I detected the smallest of blushes in the dim light of the hallway. She looked at me,

"Thanks, so do you." She said. Outside of the hallway the hustle and bustle of the party had resumed. I didn't see any sign of my brother or Jasper and I half wondered what was going on outside of the frat house in terms of Jacob. In the hallway though there was only Bella and myself. The silence that flowed between us was riddled with electricity, it wasn't a calm silence, but it wasn't an awkward silence either. The silence that we were experiencing together as a pause in time, it was giving us time to catch our breaths before we plunged into whatever was to come. I felt it, and I was certain Bella felt it too.

The fear of moving too fast was creeping in and I had to step back from the scene for a moment before I made a complete fool of myself. What I saw in front of me was a young woman who was beautiful, smart, witty, and kind. I saw someone who would take risks if she wanted to and would follow her heart no matter what. In myself, I saw a man who longed for the touch of someone true, who wanted a real relationship for a change. I didn't want to frighten her though; I didn't want her to feel like I was just another creep moving too fast. I blinked, and that's when I realized how incredibly close I was leaning in to her.

**Bella's POV**

**--**

"Just kiss me fucker, just kiss me." I thought to myself. He was leaning in so close and we hadn't spoken for several seconds. We hadn't known each other for very long at all, only 24 hours, but college was about taking chances wasn't it? It was about getting out of your comfort zone and just living life. Edward straightened up quickly, as if he had just thought of something,

"Do you want to get out of here?" He asked me. I wasn't sure what he meant by that, I wasn't sure what was going to come from the rest of that night, but I found that I didn't particularly care either.

"Yes!" I said quickly. He grabbed my hand and we made our way to the door. I whipped out my cell phone and sent a very short, very unlike me, text message to Alice,

"Don't wait up."


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you for all the kind words and all the patience you have with me! I'll be getting on a more normal writing track now that my life is beginning to calm down a bit. Also, I'm still taking requests for lemons! Also, it may seem like they are moving pretty fast but, when you click with someone on that big of a level things can move fast..and, as Edward says, they are in college and it is a time to take chances for once. **

**Jill**

**Bella's POV**

**--**

Edward kept a firm hold on my arm as we made our way beyond the frat house to the immense pack of cars that were parked along the street and in the grass. Edward's face was grinning the entire time as we basically ran to his car. He fumbled with the keyless entry for a moment before finally hitting the unlock button. I saw the lights on a silver Volvo flash signaling where it was located.

"Ah-ha! There we go." Edward muttered to himself. We approached the car and Edward held open the door for me. I blushed a bit but got in anyway; it was nice to see that chivalry was not entirely dead. Edward closed my door and jogged around to the driver's side. I giggled at his antics; it was nice to see him happy, though I found his serious side to be attractive too. What the hell, I found all of Edward to be attractive.

He shut his door and buckled his seatbelt,

"Where to?" He asked enthusiastically. I laughed and thought for a moment, I really had nowhere to go. It was getting late and most shops would probably be closed already, I knew for a fact the mall closed at ten on the weekends (I always counted down the minutes until the end of my weekend shifts) and most movie theatre's final showings had already started. I chewed on my lip a bit, not knowing what to say. I did know one thing though; I had no intentions of this night ending any time soon.

"I don't know! Um…uh…" I stammered. I really couldn't think. Anywhere with Edward would surely be fantastic but I wasn't completely sure what was open or what he liked.

"You have fifteen seconds before I decide!" He told me. I laughed and felt the all too familiar feel of a blush creeping back into my cheeks. Maybe it was better if I let him decide,

"Go head, I've got no ideas." I told him. He grinned and started the car,

"Now are you sure? I can just take you back to your apartment if you don't want to go anywhere. I promise you won't hurt my feelings if you don't want to stay out." He told me. Just then my phone dinged loudly in my pocket.

"_Funny, I was just about to tell you the same thing! Have fun Bells!"_ Alice's text message read. I laughed to myself. Alice was a fun ball of fire and mischief and I could tell that she was going to bring out the wild side in me before the semester was over…I was fairly certain I liked that idea.

"Apparently I'm not going back to my apartment anytime soon...sounds like Alice will either be there or with Jasper." I said. Edward cocked his head to the side and looked at me. He seemed to be putting together something in his brain. Suddenly he let out an adorable laugh,

"Looks like I'm not going back either! Jasper is my roommate…I guess we're neighbors." He told me. I smiled at this thought, it was a nice idea to think we could be just right next door to each other if this ever escalated into something more…

I had to push those ideas aside, at least for tonight. I was determined to let him call all the shots, to make the first move, and to prove me either wrong or right on what his true feels were for me. I would find out, in time, and at this point in my life I had nothing but time to enjoy the fruits of a first love…or whatever this turned out to be.

Edward put the car into reverse and maneuvered out of the tight parking space,

"Emmett…you are an idiot for parking your giant jeep right beside my little car, I'm blaming you if it gets dented." He whispered to himself, it never occurred to me that the big beefy frat brother that had helped Edward with Jacob was his brother.

"You and Emmett look nothing alike, are you sure you're brothers?" I asked. Edward chuckled,

"Thank you, I've been trying to prove to my parents the impossibilities of Emmett and I being related for my entire life…but they keep insisting it's true." He said. I laughed at him,

"Well he certainly was willing to help you out back there. He seems like a good brother whether he's biological or not." I said. Edward nodded,

"Yeah, he's got a good hear that's for sure. Now, Bella, do you work tomorrow?" He asked. I thought for a moment unsure about my schedule, and then I remembered that I had switched shifts again with one of the guys so I had the morning off,

"I don't go in until late." I told him. Edward's grin widened as he pulled out into the dark street,

"Perfect! Let's go then." He sped quickly down the street and before I knew it we were out of the city limits leaving the gleaming lights of campus and 24 hour fast food restaurants far behind us.

"Where are we going?" I asked as we accelerated down the open high way, Edward was driving awfully fast and I half feared we were going to get pulled over.

"You'll see, you like surprises don't you? At least I hope you like this one, I saw an ad in the paper and was going to go alone, but it seems like it would be a lot more fun with a pretty girl by my side." Again with the compliments; at this rate I was going to have a permanent blush on my cheeks.

Finally the car start decelerating and we turned into, what appeared to be, a drive-in. I hadn't been to one in years and years and I instantly fell in love with the idea. The theatre sat in a giant open area and I could easily see the lights that ran along the river not too far away. It was truly a sight, and better than any idea I could have possibly thought of.

Edward pulled into the parking lot and drove up to the ticket stand. Before I could get my purse out he had paid for two tickets and we were on our way to a vacant screen.

"Edward I—" I started to speak but he cut me off fairly quickly,

"If you hand me money I'm going to be deeply offended, this was my idea so it's my treat. Besides, it's an old film and I'll feel terrible if you pay money and end up hating it." He said. I kept my mouth shut as we pulled into a spot. The opening credits were just beginning to roll across the screen as we both got out of the car.

"What are we seeing?" I asked as Edward took a blanket out of the trunk. He motioned for me to sit on to the trunk and he quickly followed,

"The Thief of Bagdad…it's a great movie, full of magic and love at first sight and genies…all that cool nerdy stuff." Edward said with a small smile. I was intrigued already; I loved ideas of magic and all that,

"I really do like old films, I'm not just saying that either." I whispered to him. His grin widened but he didn't take his eyes off the screen.

"I'm glad." He told me. We watched the movie in relative silence. I would gasp every now and then, especially when the Sultan was ready to give up his daughter for a toy horse,

"But it's his daughter! And she already loves the prince!"I said. Edward chuckled at my enthusiasm,

"You don't think their love at first sight is a little forward?" He asked me quietly, almost as if he hadn't wanted me to hear. I shook my head animatedly,

"No. I don't at all." I said, this time it was my turn not to take my eyes off the screen, but I did notice that Edward grew oddly silent.

The movie ended, too soon I felt, and I made a mental note to add that to my collection of DVD's to order.

"Would you like to take a walk down by the river?" Edward asked as we drove out of the outdoor theatre. I wasn't even feeling tired and I knew that it was nearing three or four in the morning, I really had no desire for our evening to end. Edward was my genie in the lake, he was my prince in disguise…and I wondered if he thought the same way.

"Sure..that sounds nice." I said. We parked in front of the river and Edward opened my door for me. He left the engine running and soft music played from the speakers. I glanced up in the sky to see that it was beginning to lighten the slightest bit and the stars were beginning to fade into nothingness.

"It's beautiful out here. It's hard to see the stars at night when you're inside the city; you almost forget they exist in the first place." I murmured. Edward walked up beside me,

"I know what you mean; it's easy to forget the simplest things in life when everything else is so hustle and bustle." He said. I nodded and suddenly felt his hand in mine. I spun around to meet his gaze, "Simple things, like movies and holding hands and…kissing." He whispered…

**Edward's POV**

**--**

My pulse was pounding in my ears as Bella stared at me, silent.

"Bella, may I kiss you?" I whispered, afraid she would say no. She didn't though, she nodded,

"Yes." She breathed. My lips moved softly against hers, I was afraid of going too far. Then, I found I couldn't help myself, I deepened the kiss and leaned Bella back against the hood of my car…


	7. Chapter 7

**WARNING: LEMON...well kind of, I tried.**

**Wow thanks a million for all the nice reviews. It's nice to check my email and find kind words from everyone. Enjoy and Review please!**

**Also I'm going to be putting up a poll soon to get everyone's opinion on where I could take this story (there are several places)**

**Edward's POV (because it's much more fun)**

Bella trembled slightly as I laid her back on the hood of my car. Our lips were mashed together in a fit of unplanned passion. I was curious, and eager, to know how far this would go. I wasn't necessarily opposed to the idea of going all the way with Bella, on the contrary, I was insanely intrigued to go all the way. It was something about the way she made me feel, the way her voice registered with me, and the way she elicited a brand new sense of belonging within me. It was insanity; we hadn't known each other or any sort of measurable time at all and yet here we were, making out on the hood of my car. A small, 'Mmm' escaped Bella's lips…screw sanity, I would figure things out later.

I dared to run my tongue lightly across her lips, hoping that she would allow me to take our kiss to the next level. I was ecstatic when her lips parted and our tongues danced wildly with each other. She bit my lip playfully and I could feel a grin creep across my face. I returned the favor and bit her lip softly not wanting to put any sort of damper on any pleasure she may have been experiencing. She wiggled beneath me slightly, moving herself so that she was better positioned across the hood of my silver car. Bella reached up and grabbed the fabric of my t-shirt, pulling me down so that I was more flush against her than I had been before. I chuckled at this, breaking our kiss for just a moment to look her in the eyes. Her eyes were deep pools of brown that were alight with a fire that I hadn't seen in any other woman I had ever been with (not that I had been with too many women). It was a refreshing sight to see actual passion on a woman's face instead of just the normal glazed over look of too much alcohol. I was glad that I had chosen a quieter college to attend, I was glad that I had left behind an unfulfilling existence in the form of city life, I was glad that Bella had fallen at my feet that day, that I had caught her as she slipped off the ladder, and I was glad that she was now situated beneath, gazing at me with eyes that were filled with much more than just lust.

And then something else clicked inside me. Were we moving much too fast for our own good? Was this all just some huge mistake? I had no clue how Bella felt but I knew that I had no intentions of this being just a one night stand. I wanted to pursue a relationship with Bella, it was exactly like King Ahmed and the Princess in 'The Thief of Bagdad'…love at first sight. It was such a ridiculous idea, one that I had never believed in myself. The notion that one could fall in love just by gazing upon a person was simply absurd as far as I was concerned…at least that was how I used to feel. But now it was no denying it, if I wasn't head over heels in love with Bella I was certainly extremely attracted to her on multiple levels. I was just hoping that she felt the exact same way.

"Bella? Can I ask you a question?" I breathed. Bella sat up on her elbows and looked at me. She nodded, biting her lip a bit.

"What's wrong Edward?" She finally asked. I took a deep breath and looked up at her.

"Are you wanting this to go…past tonight? I mean, you won't hurt my feelings if you say no.." that was a definite lie. It would crush me if she wanted this to end where we were, but I would never tell her that. Even if she said that she wanted to stop here, even if she did just want to be friends, I would somehow understand.

"Are you kidding me? I better see you more than just tonight, I better see you every chance I get. Edward I don't know what's happening between us, to be honest I'm a little afraid of this apparent chemistry that is charging the air, but I definitely know that I do NOT want it to end here." She said. I was elated and a new rush of passion ran through me like an electrical storm. I could think of nothing else to do but to press my lips to hers once again. Our kiss deepened as it had before and this time I wasn't as afraid as I had been to try new things.

My hand made it's way to hem of her shirt. I lingered there for a moment, wondering whether or not I should proceed. Bella's body beckoned to me, urging me to move forward. Her skin looked so smooth in the light of the pre-dawn sky and I noticed, for the first time, that my breathing was becoming more erratic by the minute. Bella must have noticed too because she giggled and threaded her fingers through my untamed hair,

"What's so funny?" I practically growled. Her cheeks were red as she smiled at me,

"You look like you're either about to touch me or kill me." She said. I pressed my nose into the crook of her neck and nipped at her lightly. She bit her lip a bit, ceasing her giggling. I laid my forehead against her warm cheek,

"I would never hurt you Bella." I said seriously. I needed her to know that, especially after the scary encounter she had experienced earlier in the night. She deserved to know that there were good men in the world, ones that would protect her at all costs. She needed to know that I was one of them, and if she would have me I would be the only one she would ever need.

"I know." She whispered back. I planted a kiss on her cheek and allowed my hand to resume it's wonderings. Finally I got up the nerve to slip my hand beneath the fabric of her shirt. Her skin was just as smooth as it looked, if not more so, and I felt my eyes smolder as I ran my hand along her firm stomach. I continued my explorations and headed north towards the edge of her bra. My fingers played with the lacy fabric that I found there and Bella let out an audible moan. The sound of her voice caused my jeans to constrict even more than they already were and I was a bit embarrassed at my obvious arousal (I wasn't sure why).

"Edward." She moaned my name as my fingertips left a trail of goosebumps in their path. My ears perked up at the sound of my name on her lips…

Fuck this, if the first piece tastes this great I'm going to eat the whole damn cake.

"Bella…would you like to go back to one of our apartments?" I asked. Bella nodded quickly,

"Yes. Now. Let's go." She said eagerly. I laughed and I could detect that my voice was a bit lower than it typically was, obviously colored with the desire that I felt for her. I took her by the hand and helped her up from the hood of my car. The sky was lightening, signaling that the perfect night we had just experienced together was coming to a close, I only hoped that the morning would bring about another amazing day.

I helped Bella into the car and before I knew it we were back on the road, speeding along the highway back into the city. We met a few pesky red lights on the way back to the campus apartments and every time we had to stop Bella whimpered audibly. I would chuckle at her reaction, but I shared in her feelings, there was nothing I wanted more than to get to a bedroom immediately.

Finally, I pulled into the parking lot of the campus apartments and rushed to get Bella's door for her. She was already out and walking toward our section before I had the chance to open the door. I grabbed her hand and we ran for the safety of the door. But we had forgotten one small detail, Jasper and Alice were also in the romantic mood. Bella put her key in the lock, we had chosen her place simply because it came before mine, and she was just about to open the door when we both heard Alice's voice,

"Jasper…" The small, hyper, pixie of a girl that had bounced about the party that night was now moaning the name of my roommate. Bella's eyes widened and she turned to me. I let out loud laugh,

"Looks like it's going to be my place." I said. She smiled at me and I couldn't help but kiss her again. Our kiss deepened as we walked to extra few feet to the right to get to my apartment. I somehow managed to get my key into the lock and both of us into the apartment without breaking the kiss.

The apartment was dark and quiet as we made our way across the living room. A few of my boxes were still stacked against the wall and Bella collided with one as I backed her up, trying to deepen the kiss as much as possible.

"Sorry." I muttered against her mouth. She said nothing but opted to begin unbuttoning my shirt instead.

My breath came out in a hiss as her cool hand reached under my undershirt to graze my bare stomach. She giggled but I could tell, even in the darkness of the room, that she was blushing. Perhaps she was getting nervous about what we both knew was coming, or maybe she was just flustered with how many buttons were in her way.

"Bella…are you alright? Are you nervous?" I whispered. I saw her hesitate and the nod,

"Just a bit…I'm sorry." She said. I shook my head and lifted her chin with my hand. I could feel the nerves too, it was unlike any relationship I had ever experienced before and the butterflies that made themselves known were a new feeling for me.

"Don't be nervous." I said. I kissed her and she wrapped her small arms around my neck. Her hands were trembling at first but as we continued to kiss she became braver and it wasn't long before she had my button up off and discarded somewhere across the living room.

"Bed…now." She stammered. I chuckled and picked her up. She wove her hand through my hair and tugged as I nipped at her lip. She ground her hips against mine and I groaned loudly, no longer afraid of someone hearing me, Jasper and Alice were the only ones that would possible hear us and they were too wrapped up in their own activities to notice.

"Bella." I moaned. I slammed her against the wall next to my door and pressed myself into her. She winced a bit as her back hit the wall and I instantly pulled back, determined not to ever break my promise of not hurting her.

Finally I we made it into my room and onto the bed. I wanted to take my time, I wanted to enjoy her, I wanted her to know that this wasn't just a fling, that she meant something to me. I hovered above her, admiring the way she looked lying on my mattress with her head on my pillow.

She played with the hem of my white t-shirt and finally slipped it from my shoulders. Her hands ran along the planes of my chest and I couldn't help but let out a moan as her fingers brought my inner electrical storm to the surface. Her eyes scanned every inch of my bare chest and her tongue swept over my her lips. I found this extremely sexy and I bent down and kissed her neck softly and slowly. Her hands were soft as they moved toward my jeans. Her movements began to slow, and I really wished they hadn't because she was teasing me enough already and, after all, I was only a man.

"Don't stop." I urged her. She nodded and I could tell that, for some strange reason, she was really nervous, "Bella if you don't want to do anything we don't have to." I told her. She shook her head,

"No I want to, just…will you kiss me like you did earlier?" She asked quietly. I would not deny her, or myself, a kiss like we had shared by the river. I bent forward and kissed her, softly at first not wanting to rush anything with her whatsoever. Maybe it was just the intensity between us that was making her nervous, anyway I wasn't going to scare her.

This time it was Bella who advanced our kiss to the next level. She grabbed my hair, something I hoped she'd never stop doing, and the lull I thought we were experiencing in our night together quickly became nothing but a distant memory.

She rocked her hips against mine and I quickly realized that she was far too over dressed for the occasion. My hands fumbled with her shirt, I was much less sexy at undressing her top half than she had been with me, and I flung it across my bedroom laughing a bit as it hit with a satisfying thud. Her skin was covered in goosebumps and her breasts rose and fell with every breath she took. Light of the early morning was streaming through my blinds and it illuminated her skin just right causing her to glow as I gazed down at her. Her bra was lacy, and black, and I silently wondered if Alice had dressed her everyway considering it didn't seem like something the Bella that had fallen at my feet in the mall would have chosen for herself.

"What?" She asked self consciously as she nervously tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"I'm sorry…you're just beautiful." I whispered. She laughed nervously and bit her lip in the way I was already falling in love with. "Beautiful and extremely sexy." I growled. She pulled me back down to her and our bare chests collided. I couldn't get enough of her, her skin was so soft and beautiful and she smelled intoxicating. I wanted her more than I had ever wanted anyone before in my entire life.

I slipped my hand into her skirt to find that she was just as excited for me as I was for her.

"I want you." She moaned. I was determined not to disappoint,

"Are you sure? How much do you want me?" I asked her. She leaned forward and attacked me in a fit of passion. She grabbed my hand and moved it against her, allowing me to feel how excited she was for me, how she ached for me. I groaned against her lips and knew that it was now or never.

In one passionate moment Bella pushed my jeans down my hips and I did the same with her skirt. She slipped her hand under the band of my boxers and I moaned loudly as she touched me for the first time. I couldn't wait, I didn't want to wait. I took off her skirt and panties and tossed it with her shirt, my jeans and boxers followed suit and we were finally lying naked together on top of my bed.

She was beautiful in the dim light of the morning. I was sure she would have been beautiful had it been ten thirty at night or three o'clock in the afternoon. Bella was, without a doubt, the prettiest woman I had ever seen. I watched her for a moment as she kissed my chest and my shoulders, her lips were beautiful and full and soft as they grazed my burning skin. I ached for her and I couldn't wait any longer. I leaned over to my nightstand and pulled out a condom that I thought I would never have to use.

"Hurry up." She said with a laugh. Finally I was ready and I kissed her softly, trying my hardest not to fumble or act like a complete idiot. We locked eyes as I pressed myself against her, I wanted this to be the best she had ever felt and I was determined to make sure she knew how much she meant to me.

"You're beautiful." I said as I pushed into her. She was so wet and so tight that I almost lost it right then and there. She took in a sharp breath and whimpered slightly, I was confused, she should have felt pleasure not pain. I felt a bit of resistance as I slowly proceeded, hoping that Bella would relax and enjoy herself, afraid that she was regretting doing anything. I pushed a bit harder and the resistance gave way as Bella cried out in pain. Her hand instantly clamped down over her mouth and I ceased my slow thrusts as I immediately realized what had just happened.

"Bella…was that?…is this….your first time?" I asked in disbelief I felt like she should have told me, I felt like I should have known. I pulled out quickly causing her to cry out a bit in pain again.

"…I'm sorry." she whispered.

I blinked in disbelief. I had broken my promise and it hadn't even been three hours.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:**

**Once again thank you for the reviews and your patience. Life is hectic enough said. I realize that they may, once again, be movie fast but *shrug* what are you gonna do? And also Edward seems like a player a bit…like he has been with a few women but I trust you that it's only been a couple lmao.**

**Reviews are nice!**

**Edward's POV**

**----------------------**

I could have ran. I would have been lying if I would have said one tiny part of me didn't want to. My heart thundered loudly in my chest as I sat a few feet away from Bella and I felt very torn between staying where I was and rocketing across the bed to hold her in my arms. We sat in silence for a few moments just staring. Bella was staring at spot on the floor by the door and I was staring at her, waiting for one of us to say something and wondering if it should be me. I watched Bella intently for a few more moments before I could hear the unmistakable sound of her sniffling. It was then that I realized I needed to speak up,

"Bella, why? Why wouldn't you tell me something like that?" I whispered. She rubbed her arm and I wondered to myself if I had somehow bruised her there. I could see her raise her eyebrows and finally she tore her gaze away from the floor to look me in the eye.

"I don't know. I didn't mean to scare you like that Edward…I really didn't. It just kind of, slipped my mind I guess?" She all but whispered. I ran my hand through my unruly hair in an attempt to clear my mind,

"It's kind of a big thing to forget." I said, trying not to sound too upset. The truth was though, I was a bit upset. I wasn't sure how I should react, I hadn't had any prior experience like this before. My experience of losing my virginity had been all too different than this one. It had involved way too much vodka, a closet, a dare from Emmett, and some girl with way too deep of a voice. I shook the strange memory from my mind and focused on my present. Bella was seated before me, cross-legged wearing nothing but a look of shame on her face. She self-consciously pulled my blanket up to cover herself and it was in that moment I realized how much I had hurt her by ceasing our love making.

"Look Edward I'm sorry just…hand me my clothes and I'll go." She said. That was the last thing I wanted her to do. I wanted her to stay in my bed right where she was, looking as radiant in the dawn light as she ever had before. I didn't want her to leave, especially not now. Not now that I was as curious about her as I ever had been. Not now when I was mere inches away from either turning her advances away or giving into what I desired most.

"Just tell me why you didn't say anything." I whispered. She sniffled again,

"I told you it slipped my mind." She said. I knew that was a lie and I was determined not to let her go without the absolute truth.

"Liar." I tried to chuckle but it came out more as a cough and Bella raised her eyebrow as she looked at me, patiently waiting for me to hand over her clothing. I made no move to reach for them so she sighed and proceeded to explain herself,

"I…I wanted it to be you. Don't ask me to justify my actions, think what you want about me but there is just something I feel with you that I haven't felt with any boy ever before. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to be turned off, I didn't want you think less of me." She said. I stared at her, my eyebrows pulled together as a mix of different emotions played across my face. So she did feel the same why I did, she did feel the immense pull of the two of us together, I wasn't insane or creepy I was just…well…

I didn't want to say it yet, I didn't want to take that chance.

"Bella, don't you dare ever think that I would for one second in time think any less of you. I respect your right to privacy but please believe me when I say that you could have told me and I wouldn't have…" She cut me off in the middle of my sentence,

"You wouldn't have cared? If you wouldn't have cared then why did you stop in the first place?" That hurt simply because I knew, in a way, that she was right. I did care that she hadn't told me, I cared deeply but that still didn't stop the fact that I felt the exact same way about her that she did for me.

"You're right, I do care that you didn't tell me but…Bella, the fact that you wanted ME to do that means so much more to me than you'll ever know. There's just this small part of me that wonders if we're going to fast…for you." The words tumbled from my mouth before I had a chance to stop them. Bella sat up a little straighter in the bed as if I had said something of particular interest to her. I knew we weren't moving too fast for me but I worried about her, I wasn't her. She was the only person who knew exactly how she felt. I waited for her to bolt, I waited for her to call me a jerk, grab her clothes and run but that moment never came. She pulled the blanket a bit tighter around her and cleared her throat,

"If I didn't want it to be you don't you think I would have stopped you?" Her words hit me like a ton of bricks. I had never thought of the possibility that in Bella's silence she was actually granting me permission to take the one thing from her that she hadn't allowed any other man to take. She was waiting for me to speak but all I could do was stare at her; I was so stupid for not thinking that maybe, just maybe, she wanted me just as much as I wanted her. I swallowed loudly, attempting to find the right words to say. Then it all hit me at once; Bella wasn't moving, she wasn't making a move to run, she wasn't making a move to get dressed, she wasn't calling me names. She was just patiently sitting there waiting for me to speak. In that instant, I could only think of one question I wanted to ask.

"Do you still want me?" I whispered. My voice filtered through the darkness like the reverberation of music off the strings of a bass. She watched me for another moment or two before answering,

"More than I've ever wanted anyone before." Her soft soprano voice answered my question. It was like the violin to my bass, and together we would undoubtedly create such a unique symphony that even Beethoven, though deaf in hearing but not in heart, would be reduced to tears.

I didn't say anything, there was really nothing to be said. I leaned forward and pressed my lips to hers without another word. It was not my desire to ever cause Bella any sort of pain whatsoever, but it was possible that it not fulfilling this need of hers, and mine equally, I was hurting her farther than any sort of physical pain could have.

Bella sighed as I trailed kisses down her neck. She wasn't trembling this time and my hands made quick work of the blanket that surrounded her. She made no move to stop me, no single move to halt my advances or pause our symphony, and for that I was thankful. I pushed her gently back onto the mattress right into the path of the rising sun. I sat up on my knees and just looked at her for a moment. She seemed less self conscious than she had been before, she seemed more trusting in herself and me…I felt the familiar, but rarely used, feeling of a smile pulling at the corners of my mouth. I stared at her, she was beautiful especially in that light. I wasn't sure if it was the rays of a new dawn that made her that more beautiful or if she was causing the dawn to shine more brilliantly than it had ever been before…most of me thought it was the later. My blinds were closed as tightly as they would go but a bit of light still streamed through casting a warm glow along Bella's soft skin. Her chest rose and fell as she breathed at a more normal pace than before, she was steadier now as I hovered above her and the fire that burned in her eyes was brighter than any morning could have ever hoped to be.

She giggled as I ran a finger along her bare stomach. I watched as her skin reacted with a shiver and Bella covered her eyes with her hand. I grinned at her and bit my lip stifling a chuckle. I ran my hand along her perfect breasts and soon her giggles were replaced with soft moans. I was going slow, partly for her sake and partly for mine. I was determined that this wasn't going to be like most of my experiences before Bella, there was no alcohol involved and we both genuinely cared for each other. I was possibly being selfish in going so slow but I had a right to be, after all any good piece of music had just the right amount of build before the big finish.

We breathed in audible rhythm as her hands began to conduct their own part of our duet. Bella ran her hands over the planes of my chest, she circled her arms around my shoulders and played with the bits of my unruly hair that curled just near the base of my neck. She caused me to moan unlike I had ever done before and she was proud of herself for that fact. Our lips touched here and there as we advanced toward our goal. I nibbled on her neck, and her ear, I even picked up her wrist and ran my tongue in small circles to see what kind of reaction I could get. I could have laid there all morning touching her, exploring her, making her moan, making goosebumps rise up on her perfect skin but Bella had other ideas.

"Edward." My name fell from her lips, the only real word to be said in quite some time. I knew what she wanted because I could feel her muscles tighten the slightest bit. I pulled back from her to look her in the eye,

"Are you sure?" I whispered. I was surprised at how dark my own voice sounded, how heavy with wanting it had become since we had started our little escapade.

"Yes." She whispered without hesitation. That was all I needed. I pulled the necessary protection out of the drawer and before I knew it I was back where I had been earlier in the night, before we had reached such an understand of each other, before we had explored each other, before we knew. Bella nodded as I held myself above her, she was ready and so was I. She closed her eyes and I kissed her forehead as I eased my way inside her…

And in that instant we were the same. It didn't matter if Bella was a virgin and I wasn't, it didn't matter that we had only known each other for a couple of days, none of that mattered. Because in that moment we were both human, we were both lovers, we were both experiencing a multitude of unearthed feelings that we had only heard existed in the realm of myth and fairytale. Love at first sight had meant nothing until we had found each other. But in the very instant we had met, unbeknownst to us at the time, myth had changed to reality and fairytale into truth. As our bodies danced together in the light of a new dawn, casting unique shadows onto the walls, we were no longer Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, we were a violin and a bass each playing the same notes just at different pitches to create a perfect melody.

Bella's breath picked up in pace as our rhythm began to build. She began to arch her back as our song's tempo increased. I said her name once, twice, a third time before her moans echoed loudly around us and my own name tumbled from her quivering mouth. She tightened her grip on my shoulders for an instant before I followed…I would have followed her anywhere.

And then our song was over and Bella and I collapsed beside each other in a tangled mess of sweat and sighs. I brought her to me and placed a deserved kiss upon her head. She snuggled against my chest and I relaxed. The morning could go on without us; we had ushered in the new day with the most perfect fanfare possible and now it was time to rest…

**Bella's POV**

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I had left Edward's while he was in the shower. I had encountered Jasper briefly and had blushed an obvious shade of crimson before getting a thumbs up from him. I rolled my eyes at the gleeful Texan and had slipped out of the apartment quietly. I showered in my own apartment while doing my best to ignore the barrage of questions thrown at me by Alice. The pixie finally resorted to pouting by the time I was done getting ready for my shift. She perked up rather quickly though when I explained to her that I would clue her in on everything as soon as I got home. I rushed out the door, already late, and knocked on Edward's door. Jasper answered though and I was a bit sad that I had apparently "just missed him.". I figured he had gone out for groceries or something and I would talk to him later that night.

My ride to work was cheerier than normal as I replayed all the events of the morning in my mind. I breezed into the store as bubbly as ever,

"Hey sweetie!" Brie said. I grinned widely at her and bounced up to the desk.

"Good afternoon!" I said brightly. She gave me her 'I'm really scared of what you're so happy about' look at then laughed,

"I don't want to know…well I do but text me about it later." She said, "But I have a feeling I know what it's about…these came for you just a few minutes ago." She said pulling out a rather large display of flowers from under the desk. I blushed again and read the card,

"Thank you for the music…if you know what I mean. I'll talk to you tonight.

-Edward."

I smiled at the card and put the flowers back under the desk where they would be safe. Brie giggled again and I shot her a look accompanied with a smirk.

"Go ahead and get out of here…I think I can handle it tonight. Is the new guy here?" I asked. We were hiring extra fall help in an attempt to get ready for the holiday season that still loomed a couple of months away.

"Yeah…he's in the back doing paperwork." She said. She made her, 'I'm not sure if he'll work but let's hope so because I don't want to be stuck with 28 hour work weeks all season long' look. She really could say a lot in her expressions. I nodded and pulled out the 'New Employee Handbook'.

"I'll see you in class tomorrow sweetie." I was glad she reminded me or I may not have remembered that classes started tomorrow. She gave me an air kiss and departed leaving me with my thoughts and a new employee to train.

"Hey you must be Bella." He walked out of the backroom startling me a bit. He was tall and his long hair was pulled back into a ponytail. I smiled at him,

"Yep! Bella Swan, I'll be training you tonight and probably tomorrow night too." I said. He handed me his finished paperwork,

"I'm James and I'm looking forward to working with you Bella." He said…


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry for the lag…it's been difficult to sit down and actually do some writing. But I have a day off so here you go! I will be updating this one along with my story "Falling Forever" tonight. I also have a new idea for a brand new AU story but no hints sorry! ^__^ Enjoy this update and I hope everyone is having a fantastic holiday.**

**Lots of Love,**

**- Jill**

**PS - This chapter proves I know WAY too much about shoes *headdesk***

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**Bella's POV**

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It was quite difficult to pay any attention to the new trainee while a beautiful bouquet of flowers was sitting behind the counter waiting for me to take them home. But I did my best to keep the thoughts of Edward and the night we had spent together at bay while I trained James in the art of selling shoes.

"To be quite honest, it's not that hard. You just have to know how to talk to people. Even if you have no idea what they want, or if we even have what they're looking for, it doesn't matter. As soon as you get them to sit down then you can go to the back and panic." I told James. He chuckled a bit,

"I think I can talk to people. It doesn't seem that difficult." He said. His voice was raspy and his shirt smelled like cigarette smoke. Still, he seemed nice enough that I fairly confident he would be a good edition to our team. At least I hoped…I was getting tired of working thirty hour weeks.

The night ticked on slowly. We did some rapport building exercises and I went over "tech specs" about each shoe,

"Now Eccos' are really cool because they have a polyurethane sole so it holds up much better than regular rubber. Plus, the soles are attached to shoe by a process called 'vulcanization' so there isn't any stitching so it's basically all one piece." I was explaining the aspects of our highest selling dress shoe when it dawned on me that I knew way too much about shoes, "Wow I really need to get a life." I said. James let out a laugh and smiled at me,

"Nah, you're fine. I need to know this stuff right?" He asked. I nodded,

"It helps when you know things about the shoes. It makes you seem more…professional I guess. You don't look like an idiot when someone asks you a question." I said.

"I don't think you could ever look like an idiot." James said. For some reason that made me feel a bit uncomfortable and I moved on to the next shoe so I could shake the strange feeling.

"Now, Keens are really cool the soles smell like vanilla." I told him as I picked up one of the water shoes from the shelf and held it out for him to smell,

"Is this some sort of newbie prank?" He asked a little wary. I shook my head,

"No, I promise." I shoved the shoe in his face and he was forced to sniff it,

"Wow…the supervisor does not lie." He said. I smiled and repositioned the shoe,

"No I do not. And yes, we do find this stuff out by standing around smelling the shoes. It can get a little slow in here." I confessed. James chuckled again and looked at me with a indescribable expression. Once again, for some reason, I felt uncomfortable…what was worse, I felt bad for feeling uncomfortable.

"So should we move onto cleaners?" I said trying to break up the strange feelings I was having.

"You're in charge." He said. The mall was dead that night, we hadn't had a customer in about an hour and a half which made me happy. It was so much easier to train someone when there were no customers and I really didn't feel like dealing with any difficult customers that evening, not after the amazing and exhausting time I had experienced the night before.

"So, do you go to school?" I said, trying my best to make small talk as I demonstrated how to correctly shine different kinds of shoes.

"Yeah, I just transferred actually so I guess we'll be going to the same college." James told me.

"Yep! Considering there is only one college in this town I would assume so." I said as I vigorously scrubbed a Doc Marten.

"What's your major?" He asked as he was doing his best to clean a stubborn pair of Nike Shox.

"Journalism actually. I minor in Theatre and Classical Studies…basically I read for a living." I joked. "How about you?" I asked,

"Undecided at the moment. I really can't figure out what I want to do with my life." He told me.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out." I told him with a smile. Then, came the question that I knew traditionally followed the 'So what's your major?' question,

"So do you have a boyfriend?" He asked.

"Am I interrupting an important training session?" The sound of Edward's voice brought an immediate smile to my face. He had never had better timing.

"Guess that answers my question." I heard James whisper as I sprung up to greet Edward.

"Just cleaning some shoes. Thank you for the flowers…they're beautiful." I said. I still felt a bit shy around him, I wasn't entirely sure why besides the fact that he was beautiful, talented, and could kiss better than anyone I knew.

"Just like you." He said with a smile. "Has she fallen off any ladders today?" Edward said speaking to James. I bit my lip, embarrassed.

"Nope I've kept a good eye on her." James said. That feeling crept in again and I saw Edward tilt his head ever so slightly, as if he felt exactly the same way.

"….Thanks." Edward said.

"Oh! Edward this is James…James, Edward." I said. The two men shook hands but said nothing more.

"Are you ready for classes tomorrow?" Edward asked both of us. At least I think he was asking both of us, he could have just been being nice to James.

"I guess, it's going to be different being at a new school." James said. Edward nodded,

"I know what you mean man but…I think this town has some great things to offer." He said flashing me a smile.

"I think you're right." James said. Edward turned to me,

"What about you? Are you ready for classes?" He asked. His eyebrows pulled together though as he stared at me…I instantly felt self conscious,

"What? What's wrong?" I asked momentarily horrified.

"You have a little…cleaner on your face." He said with the chuckle I was so in love with. He scrubbed the dark brown smudge off my forehead and grinned with his eyes,

"To answer your question yes, I am very ready for classes." I said.

"Good." Edward said with a smile. I had almost forgotten that James was there and I felt a little guilty.

"James if you want to go ahead and take the trash out you can." I told him as cheerily as I could. I even hated taking the trash out and I was secretly thrilled that I could order a new trainee to do it instead.

"Sure thing boss." James winked at me and Edward tilted his head again. "Good to meet ya Edward." He said before disappearing to the back,

"Yeah…you too." Edward said a bit quietly. After James was gone I went to the counter and pulled out the paperwork for the night. Edward leaned against the counter and was just about to say something when his phone rang.

"Yes Emmett?" He said unenthusiastically. While his brother's loud, undecipherable, voice came from the other end Edward played absentmindedly with my hair as I counted up the drawer for the night. I smiled as he did, it was a nice feeling.

"Are you sure? Okay, okay, I know 'what brothers are for' I'll be right there I'm just visiting Bella at work…EMMETT!" He scolded his brother for an obviously inappropriate comment. I laughed a bit and Edward rolled his eyes, "I'll be there soon….I love you to uh…man. Bye." He hung up quickly and let out a frustrated sigh,

"Edward to the rescue?" I asked. He nodded,

"His jeep died, I have to go jump him." He said. I detected a hint of pout on his lips and I found it extremely adorable,

"I'm sorry." I said rubbing his shoulder. He sighed again,

"So much for taking you out tonight." He said frustrated.

"It's alright…I have a lot to do before tomorrow anyway." I said. I just didn't want him to feel bad. In reality I was pretty set for tomorrow which made me feel not as nervous as usual.

"Okay, I have to go…I'll pick you up in the morning?" He asked. I laughed, we were both in walking distance of campus so he really didn't need to pick me up. Then again, I wasn't going to deny him if he wanted to walk me to class.

"If you insist." I said. He winked at me, seemed to think something over and then quickly kissed me on the cheek. James walked back in from taking the trash out and Edward quickly glanced at him and then back to me,

"Call me when you get home okay? I don't know if I'll be home yet or not but a call would be nice." He told me quietly, and with a hint of concern in his voice.

"Sure." I said with a smile. Then he left, his hands in his pockets and his mind elsewhere.

We were out of the mall in no time that night and I was happy to get home to a hot shower and a phone call to Edward.

"BELLA!!!!!!!!!!!!" Alice screeched as I entered the apartment.

"Thank God, okay, Bella help Alice choose shoes…I'm going to go back to our apartment, put on a soccer game, and try to see if I can pull my balls out from where they've retreated." Jasper said hopping up from the couch and a sea of shoes.

"Love youuuuu." Alice sang as he kissed her quickly mouthed 'Good Luck' to me and hurried back to his apartment.

"These." I said picking up a small pair of dark blue ballet flats the tied up her ankle.

"OH MY GOD BELLA THESE ARE PERFECT! THANK YOU!!" Alice bounced and I laughed,

"You're welcome." I said retreating to the shower, leaving the joyous pixie to her victory dance.

The hot water felt good on my tired body. It had been an slow, yet nice, night. James seemed like he was going to work out which would free up time on my schedule to spend more time with Edward. Still, one thing was bothering me…

….the way Edward got whenever James would look at me, it seemed like he knew something I didn't.


End file.
